Shovel



(No Model.)

0. T. BELLAMY. Shovel, Spade, or Scoop.

Patented June 28,1881.

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' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES TVBELLAMY, OF SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

SHOVEL, SPADE, OR scoop.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 243,354, dated June 28, 1881.

- Application filed July 2,1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES 'l. BELLAMY, of Scranton, in the county of Lack-awanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shovels, Spades, and Scoops; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a top-plan view of a shovel constructed in accordance with myinvention; Fig. 2, a bottom-plan view of the same; Fig. 3, a cross-sectional view taken on theline mm, Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line y y of the same figure.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures denote the same parts.

Heretofore, in the manufacture of shovels, the connection between the blade and the bandle has been usually effected either in one of three ways-namely, first, by means of metal straps riveted to the front and back sides of the blade andalso to the handle; or, secondly, by welding both straps together and to the back of the blade, or otherwise forming the straps integral with the blade and securing the handle between the straps; or, thirdly, by the employment of a socket adapted to receive and hold the handle, and having a toe or shank which is countersunkin a depression or groove in the back or under side of the blade and secured therein. Shovels made on the firstnamed plan are the least expensive, but are ob- 3'5 jectionable because the back strap projects from the surface of the blade, and often becomes turned up or loosened and offers an obstruction to the easy use of the implement, and causes the shovel to crack and break at that point. Shovels made on the second and third plans, while being in a measure free from the objections urged against the common strapshovel, cost so much to manufacture that they are not in much demand. I

The object of my invention is to provide a strong and simple shovel that shall be equally as cheap as the ordinary strap-shovel, but without its objectionable features; and to this end it consists of a shovel having the ordinary front and back straps and provided with a peculiarly-shaped recess or depression in its blade for the reception and accommodation of the back strap, both straps being secured to the blade and to the handle by rivets, substantially as I will now proceed to describe.

In the drawings, A represents the blade of the shovel; B, the front strap; 0, the back strap, and D the handle.

The blade Ais pressed or struck up so as to form a recess or depression, A, in its back, in which the point or toe of the back strap is inserted. An abrupt shoulder, a, is formed around the recessed portion of the blade, of a depth equal to the thickness of the back strap, so that when the latter is inserted in the recess its edges will fit snugly against the shoulder, while its back will lie flush with the back of the blade. The shape of the toe or point of the back strap is preferably the same as that of the ordinary back strap, and the shape of the recess is made to correspond thereto. The back strap is secured to the blade by a series of rivets, 9", applied as shown in Fig. 1, and the front strap is secured by rivets r. The handle D is inserted between the straps and extends a short distance into the recess, and is held firmly by means of rivets r or otherwise. Wooden wedges w are preferably inserted in the space between the struck-up portion of the blade and the back strap, on each side of the handle, for the purpose of filling said space and strengthening the connection of the handle.

The striking up of the blade to form the recess or depression, of course, causes a correspondin g rib or corrugation, A to be produced on the face of the blade. This corrugation materially stiffens the blade and shifts the springing or bending point from the first rivethole-its usual place-to a point somewhat in advance thereof, and thereby renders the blade less liable to be broken or cracked at said rivet-holethan in the ordinary shovel unprovided with such corrugation.

Shovels constructed in accordance with my invention combine cheapness, simplicity, and strength, and possess all the advantages of the ordinary front and back strap shovels without their disadvantages.

I claim as my invention- 1. The shovel herein described, consisting of the bladeA,pressed or struck up so as to form a recess, A, in its back, and a corresponding in the recess, the handle, and the wedges w,

corrugation, A in its face, and having aback inserted in the space between the blade and strap, 0, countersunk in said recess and sethe back strap on each side of the handle, subcured by rivets,and having also a frontstrap, stantially as described, for the purpose speci- 5 B, likewise secured by rivets, and provided fied.

with the handle 1), secured between the straps, l substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the blade A, having the recess A, the front and back straps riv- OHARLES T. BELLAMY.

Witnesses:

J AS. H. TORREY,

1o eted to the blade, with the latter countersunk I A. D. DEAN. 

